A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Queens Library's Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center proudly presents “America is a Dream… A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” Please join us to learn about the struggle for civil rights and enjoy this all-day blend of speakers, film, dramatic presentation and live music on Saturday, April 4, ...

Invest in Libraries! Invest in New Yorkers!

Queens Library, Brooklyn Public Library and the New York Public Library have come together to let Mayor De Blasio and the New York City Council know that NYC’s librariesneed more funding to stay open more hours and address our capital needs.

Teen Battle of the Bands

Many bands will enter but only one will be chosen as the winner of the first ever Teen Battle of the Bands. Come and watch local teen bands battle. Join us at the Flushing branch on April 7, 5-7 PM. For FREE tickets and more information, click here.

Help Us Find the Next Queens Poet Laureate!

The search is on! Borough President Melinda Katz, Queens College and Queens Library are partnering together to find the next Queens Poet Laureate, who will be charged with promoting a love of poetry and literacy throughout our borough.

Queens Library is happy to join the Poet Laureate partnership for the first time this year, and ...

Need Help With the NYPD Exam?

Are you interested in the NYPD Police Officer Entrance Examination? The NYPD Recruitment Section is offering a free tutorial program at the Central Library for all applicants who are interested in taking the exam.

History

Rockaway Beach, located on the Rockaway Peninsula, has a rich history dating back to the early 17th century. Called Reckowacky or “the place of our own people”, by the Canarsie Indian tribe who had settled here, Rockaway was first sold to the Dutch in 1639.

The land was then sold to Captain Palmer in 1685. Richard Cornell purchased the land from Palmer two years later.

After the railroad opened in 1872, Rockaway Beach’s popularity grew as a premier beach resort, serving tourists and New York society’s elite families. Later, Rockaway Beach catered to the middle class.

Rockaway Beach was incorporated in 1897. In 1898 Rockaway Beach and the surrounding villages officially became part of Queens County. Steeplechase, the area’s first amusement park, was opened in 1901. Rockaway’s Playland opened in 1928 and remained a popular tourist spot until the 1980s.

Local areas of interest to tourists include “Whaleamena”, a Central Park Children’s Zoo whale sculpture donated to the Rockaways and located at the Beach 95th Street boardwalk entrance. The “Dough Girl” Monument, located on Rockaway Beach Boulevard and Beach 94th Street, recognizes the efforts of women who served in the armed forces. A four block section of Rockaway Beach was officially designated as the city’s first surfer’s only beach. Today, renewed interest in the Rockaways is spurring housing development.

More information about the Rockaway Beach community is available from the following sources:

Old Rockaway, New York in Early Photographs by Vincent Seyfried and William Asadorian

Queens A Pictorial History by Vincent Seyfried

The Peninsula Branch of the Queens Borough Public Library opened in July of 1943 and was then known as the “Rockaway Branch”. The branch was closed from 1958 through 1959 but subsequently reopened as the result of community pressure. In 1972 the branch was moved to a newly built City of New York building and renamed as the Peninsula Branch. A fire in 1999 temporarily closed the Peninsula Branch for several months until repairs and renovations were completed.